UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA
DONALD BREN SCHOOL OF
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE &
MANAGEMENT
POLLUTION PREVENTION AND REMEDIATION
Specialization Definition
Pollution can be defined as chemical or biological mis-localization. Humans induce
pollution in a number of ways including accidentally, by improper waste disposal, and in
some cases by well-intended management of the environment. By whatever means
pollution has entered the environment, there are serious challenges to overcome in its
cleanup and the prevention of future pollutant releases. This specialization prepares
students to recognize pollutants, characterize the extent and consequences of pollution
in the environment, identify and evaluate alternatives for remediation and prevention,
and evaluate the economic and political viability of alternatives.
Chemicals, microbes and genes are the focal pollutants of this specialization. Upon
completion of this specialization, students should be able to address the following for a
given environmental venue:
1) What chemicals or biological entities are pollutants?
2) What are the origins of pollution and what can be done to prevent or reduce release?
3) With existing pollution, what are the alternatives for remediation that are
economically and environmentally sound?
Course Work
PPR students should take at least one class in each of the following areas:
Pollution Science: Courses in chemistry and microbiology are recommended.
ESM 219/219L: Microbial Processes/ Laboratory (Holden) [Biennial]
Chem 123: Fundamentals of Environmental Chemistry
Geog 250: Environmental Soil Chemistry
Geog 114A/114AL: Biogeochemistry of the Soil/Soil Science Laboratory
Transport of pollutants: Courses in mass transport and modeling are recommended.
ESM 232: Environmental Modeling (Costello) [Biennial]
ESM 222: Fate and Transport of Pollutants (Keller)
Ch E 120C: Transport Processes-Mass
Math 144A: Introduction to Mathematical Modeling
Geo1 169: Tracer Hydrology
Geog 246: Advanced Hydrologic Modeling
MEE 208: Sediment Transport
MEE 209: Contaminant Transport and Fate
Distribution of pollutants: Courses in GIS and statistics are recommended.
ESM 263: GIS (Frew)
Geog 274/274L: Introduction to Geographic Data Analysis
Geog 276: Introduction to Geographical Time Series Analysis
Geog 277: Spatial Environmental Modeling
Consequences of pollution: Courses in risk assessment and ecotoxicology are
recommended.
ESM 213: Ecological Effects of Pollutants (Marwood)
ESM 220: Ecological Risk Assessment (Marwood)
Pollution remediation: Courses in hazardous and non-hazardous waste treatment are
recommended.
ESM 221: Air Quality Management (Visitor) [Biennial]
ESM 223/223L: Management of Soil and Water Quality / Laboratory (Keller)
ESM 214/214L: Bioremediation / Laboratory (Holden) [Biennial]
Pollution prevention: Courses in industrial pollution prevention and in environmental
biotechnology are recommended.
ESM 282: Industrial Ecology (Allen)
ESM 286: Environmental Risk—Assessment, Valuation, & Mgmt (Moore)
ESM 595F: Advances in Pollution Prevention (Keller) [Biennial]
CH E 212: Risk Assessment and Management
Economics and policy of pollution management: Economics and policy analysis courses
are recommended.
ESM 243: Environmental Policy Analysis (Kolstad)
ESM 241: Environmental Policy Processes (McGinnis)
ESM 244: Valuing Environmental Quality (Bento) [Biennial]
ESM 245: Cost Benefit Analysis (Bento)
ESM 281: Corporate Environmental Management (Delmas)
ESM 288: Environmental Technology Mgmt (Geyer)
Other: The POS may be completed using other curriculum opportunities that may be
valuable for students in PPR depending upon the specific topic of focus.
ESM 430, 435, 436: Workshops in Environmental Science and Management
ESM 595A-Z: Seminars/Group Studies in Env Science and Management
ESM 294, 296, 297, & 299: Advanced Topics
A sample program of study (POS) can be found at:
http://www.bren.ucsb.edu/services/student/index.html.
This is only an example to help guide students in developing their own POS. The specific
courses included will differ depending on an individual’s unique background, interests,
and goals!
Career Opportunities
The PPR specialization is intended to prepare students for mid-level jobs in consulting,
industry, government or non-profit organizations. For example, in a consulting capacity,
PPR specialists could occupy scientific or engineering managerial or technical positions
where they may, for example, develop remedial investigation or feasibility plans for
hazardous waste sites, conduct field data collection and analysis of sites under
investigation, work with engineering staff to facilitate design of new treatment works in
either hazardous or municipal waste treatment, administer regulatory decisions for
public clients, delineate and report treatment alternatives plus conduct cost-benefit
analyses for preparing recommendations, model environmental systems in support of
any of the above, and develop new business. These similar capacities could be
exercised in industry, where in addition PPR specialists could develop and oversee the
implementation of waste reduction and preventions strategies, plus ensure compliance
and reporting. The technical skills held by PPR specialists would accompany crisp
written and oral communication skills that are essential to and definitive of Bren MESM
graduates.
Potential Job Areas
Air Quality
Biology
Chemistry
Community Relations
Compliance/Regulation
Economics
Education/Outreach
Engineering
Hazardous Waste
Hydrogeology
Hydrology
Industrial Hygienist
Law
Policy
Public Health
Planning
Product Design
Project Manager
Quality Control/Assurance
Recycling
Remediation
Research and Development
Risk Analyst
Solid Waste Management
Toxicology
Transportation Planning
Water Quality